Methods and systems for presenting en route diversion destinations

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are provided for indicating suggested or recommended diversion destinations with respect to segments of a planned route of travel. One exemplary method of presenting potential diversion airports for an aircraft involves identifying a flight path segment of a plurality of flight path segments between a departure location and a destination location based on a flight plan from the departure location to the destination location and identifying a subset of airports satisfying one or more filtering criteria with respect to the flight path segment. From among that subset, a recommended diversion airport is identified based on a viability ranking of the subset of airports with respect to the flight path segment and indication of the recommended diversion airport for the flight path segment is provided to a pilot or other user.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter described herein relates generally to vehicle displaysystems and related human factors, and more particularly, embodiments ofthe subject matter relate to aircraft systems capable of reducing apilot's workload and improving the pilot's situational awareness whenselecting en route diversion or alternate airports.

BACKGROUND

Pilots, air traffic controllers, airline personnel and the likeroutinely monitor meteorological data, reports, and forecasts to assessany potential impacts on the current or anticipated flight plan and theintended destination. However, in situations where the aircraft needs todeviate from the original plan, such as an emergency situation, theinformation needs to be reanalyzed with respect to the deviation tofacilitate continued safe operation. For example, in the case of anemergency landing, ideally a pilot would select an airport within rangeof the aircraft where landing is least likely to be compromised orcomplicated by weather or other factors. This requires consideration ofnumerous pieces of information (e.g., fuel remaining and distance to betraveled, weather radar and/or forecast information, NOTAMs, SIGMETs,PIREPs, and the like), which often is distributed across differentdisplays or instruments, requiring the pilot to mentally piece togetherall the different information from the different sources. Additionally,in the case where the information for the first airport analyzeddiscourages landing there, the pilot must repeat the task of aggregatingand analyzing the information for one or more additional airports.

In some situations, during pre-flight briefing, a pilot may desire topreselect alternate or diversion airports along the flight plan forpotential use en route to the destination. While the foregoing demandsof mentally piecing together different information from differentsources persists, the pilot must also analyze the information withrespect to locations along the flight plan. Moreover, once en route, theviability of a preselected alternate may change without the pilot'sawareness. Thus, in the event of an emergency, due to the mental stressand exigent nature of operation, the pilot may revert to a preselectedairport that is suboptimal or less viable than when originally selected.To remedy the situation, the pilot is again faced with the task ofreanalyzing the different information from different sources during anemergency situation, which further increases the pilot's workload.Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the mental workload of the pilot(or air traffic controller, or the like) when analyzing and selectingalternates en route to a destination.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Methods and systems are provided for presenting potential diversiondestinations for a vehicle, such as an aircraft. One exemplary method ofpresenting potential diversion airports for an aircraft involvesidentifying a flight path segment of a plurality of flight path segmentsbetween a departure location and a destination location based on aflight plan from the departure location to the destination location,identifying a subset of airports satisfying one or more filteringcriteria with respect to the flight path segment, identifying, fromamong the subset, a recommended diversion airport based on a ranking ofrespective airports of the subset of airports according to therespective viability associated with each respective airport of thesubset of airports with respect to the identified flight path segment,and providing an indication of the recommended diversion airportassociated with the flight path segment.

An apparatus for a vehicle system is also provided. The system includesa display device onboard a vehicle, a data storage element maintaininginformation defining a segment of a travel plan, a communications systemonboard the vehicle to obtain status information for a plurality ofdestinations, and a processing system coupled to the communicationssystem, the data storage element, and the display device. The processingsystem is configured to determine viability associated with respectivedestinations of the plurality of destinations with respect to thesegment based on at least in part on the status information for therespective destinations, identify a recommended diversion destinationfrom among the plurality based on a ranking of the respectivedestinations according to the viability, and provide an indication ofthe recommended diversion destination associated with the flight pathsegment on the display device.

Another embodiment of a method of presenting potential diversiondestinations for a vehicle involves a processing system onboard thevehicle identifying a segment of a plurality of segments of a routebetween a departure location and a destination location, obtainingstatus information associated with one or more locations along thesegment, obtaining status information associated with each of aplurality of alternate destinations, determining viability scores foreach of the plurality of alternate destinations with respect to thesegment based at least in part on the status information associated withthe one or more locations along the segment and the status informationassociated with the respective alternate destination location,identifying a recommended alternate from among the plurality ofalternate destinations based on a ranking of respective alternatedestinations according to the viability stores associated with therespective alternate destinations, and providing an indication of therecommended alternate associated with the segment on a display deviceonboard the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the subject matter will hereinafter be described inconjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numeralsdenote like elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for an aircraft in an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an exemplary route diversion selectionprocess suitable for use with the aircraft in the system of FIG. 1 inaccordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary navigational map display suitable fordisplay on a display device associated with the aircraft in the systemof FIG. 1 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the routediversion selection process of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary en route diversion displayprocess suitable for use with the aircraft in the system of FIG. 1 inaccordance with one or more embodiments;

FIGS. 5-6 depict exemplary navigational map displays suitable fordisplay on a display device associated with the aircraft in the systemof FIG. 1 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the en routediversion display process of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an exemplary airport ranking processsuitable for use with the route diversion selection process of FIG. 2 orthe en route diversion display process of FIG. 4 in accordance with oneor more embodiments; and

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an exemplary parameter group scoring processsuitable for use with the airport ranking process of FIG. 7 inconjunction with the route diversion selection process of FIG. 2 or theen route diversion display process of FIG. 4 in accordance with one ormore embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the subject matter described herein generally relate tosystems and methods for intelligently presenting potential diversiondestinations to a vehicle operator in a manner that reduces workloadwhile improving situational awareness with respect to an otherwisecomplex situation. For example, a pilot looking to divert from anoriginally scheduled flight plan and land the aircraft may be faced withnumerous potential landing locations (e.g., airports, landing strips,and the like), with each being associated with its own unique set offactors or current circumstances that may make that location more orless suitable for landing the aircraft, while also having to account forthe current operations of the aircraft (and any operational concernsassociated therewith). While the subject matter is primarily describedherein in the context of presenting potential diversion airports for anaircraft looking to deviate from a flight plan, the subject matterdescribed herein may be similarly utilized in other applications todeviate from a predefined route for travel (e.g., a travel plan ortravel route) or with another vehicle (e.g., automobiles, marinevessels, trains). That said, for purposes of explanation, but withoutlimitation, the subject matter is described herein in the context ofpresenting information pertaining to aircraft operations. Additionally,it should be noted the subject matter is not necessarily limited tovehicle operators and may be utilized by dispatchers, air trafficcontrollers, or other users, as appropriate.

As described in greater detail below in the context of FIGS. 2-3, inexemplary embodiments described herein, the flight plan is subdivided orsegmented into a number of segments between departure and destinationlocations, with diversion destinations being analyzed and presented withrespect to each segment. In this regard, for a particular flight pathsegment, potential diversion destinations are scored, graded, orotherwise quantified in terms of their respective viabilities withrespect to the entire length or duration of the flight path segment tobe flown by the aircraft. Thus, in exemplary embodiments, the potentialdiversion destinations to be analyzed may be initially filtered based ontheir distance from one or more locations along the segment (e.g., interms geographic distance, flight time, or the like) or other filteringcriteria to limit the scope of the analysis to a limited number ofrealistic or feasible potential destinations.

Stated another way, each flight plan has a plurality of segments forwhich alternate or diversion destinations may be defined. Based onvarious criteria, as to be discussed below, the processing systemdetermines a limited subset of airports capable of being an acceptablediversion destination associated with a particular flight plan segment.Airports among this subset are then analyzed in terms of their viabilityand the most viable airport may be indicated as recommended orpreferable and presented on a display associated with the aircraft toreduce pilot workload in identifying a desired alternate destination fora flight plan segment.

After filtering the potential diversion destinations to be analyzed withrespect to a flight path segment, the remaining potential diversiondestinations within the filtered subset are scored, graded, or otherwisequantified in terms of their respective viabilities with respect to thelength of the segment of interest. For example, anticipated or plannedstatus information (e.g., planned aircraft flight phase, altitude,velocity, or other status or state information, forecastedmeteorological conditions, or the like) associated with differentlocations along the flight path segment being analyzed may be obtainedand utilized to analyze the relative viability of each potentialdiversion destination with respect to those different locations. In thisregard, a viability score for a potential diversion destination for eachlocation along the flight path segment for which status information isobtained, and then the resulting viability scores may be averaged toobtain a representative viability score for that diversion destinationwith respect to the segment. In exemplary embodiments, anticipatedstatus information associated with each of a plurality of alternatedestinations and anticipated or forecasted meteorological conditions arealso obtained and utilized when determining the viability scores.Accordingly, prior to departure, the potential diversion destinationsare scored, graded, or otherwise quantified with respect to a flightpath segment in a manner that accounts for the anticipated aircraftoperational status along the flight path segment as well as the currentor anticipated operational status of each respective destination,current or anticipated status of the route between locations along theflight path segment and the respective destination, and the like. Thus,anticipated operational changes at a given airport, forecastedmeteorological conditions, or the like for the anticipated timeframeduring which the aircraft will traverse that the flight path segment maybe accounted for while also taking into account current conditions.

In one or more embodiments, a graphical user interface (GUI) display isprovided that presents or otherwise provides indicia of a recommendeddiversion destination or the relative viabilities of potential diversiondestinations with respect to the flight path segment and enables a pilotor other user to select or otherwise identify which destination he orshe would like to associated with that segment of the flight plan priorto departure or otherwise in advance of reaching that segment. In thisregard, the GUI display may enable the pilot to sequentially stepthrough the individual segments of the flight plan to define desireddiversion destinations along the entire route of the flight plan.

As described in greater detail below in the context of FIGS. 4-6, in oneor more embodiments, after departure, the viability scoring and rankingof the potential diversion destinations may be dynamically updated toreflect changing conditions and provide corresponding indications to thepilot. For example, when the aircraft is traveling along a particularflight path segment and the current conditions indicate a particulardiversion destination currently has a higher viability with respect tothe remainder of the flight path segment yet to be flown than apreselected diversion destination for that flight path segment, one ormore graphical indicia or other visual cues may be provided to indicateto the pilot that another diversion destination may be preferable in theevent of a need to divert from the flight plan. Thus, when a preselecteddiversion destination becomes suboptimal or less viable than anotherpotential alternative, the pilot may be apprised of such changes inreal-time while en route, thereby improving the pilot's situationalawareness in the event a diversion is necessary. Depending on theembodiment, the preselected diversion destination may be automaticallyselected (e.g., by a flight management system or similar onboard system)or manually selected, and could be previously selected prior to flyingthe flight plan, after initiating aircraft operation along the flightplan but prior to flying the current flight path segment, or in someembodiments, potentially after initiating aircraft operation along thecurrent flight path segment but prior to the aircraft reaching itscurrent location.

In one or more embodiments, potential diversion destinations are scored,graded, or otherwise quantified in terms of their respective viabilitieswith respect to a flight path segment in real-time based at least inpart on the current vehicle status as well as the current status of eachrespective destination, which may also include or otherwise account forthe current status of the route to/from the respective destination.Thus, when either the current status of the vehicle (e.g., fuelremaining, aircraft weight, etc.) or the current status of a particulardestination or the route thereto (e.g., adverse weather conditions,closed or limited runways, etc.) has potential to complicate use of thatdestination, the viability of that particular destination may becharacterized as having a lower viability than it may otherwise havebeen absent such complicating factors. In exemplary embodiments, foreach potential destination, parameters characterizing the currentvehicle status, the current destination status and the current routestatus for the route between the vehicle and the destination areclassified, categorized, or otherwise assigned to a respective parametergroup. For each parameter group, a quantitative viability score and adiscrete qualitative viability state are calculated or otherwisedetermined based on the values of the parameters assigned to thatparameter group. Thus, each potential destination has a plurality ofparameter group viability scores and a plurality of parameter groupviability states associated therewith which are indicative of thecurrent viability of that destination.

Each destination is then classified, categorized, or otherwise assignedto a particular aggregate viability group based on its associatedparameter group viability states. In this regard, each aggregateviability group is a unique subset of the potential destinations havingsubstantially the same viability across the parameter groups. Withineach viability group, the destinations are then ranked, sorted, orotherwise ordered relative to other destinations in that group based ontheir associated parameter group viability scores. A listing of thepotential destinations can then be displayed or otherwise presented,with the destinations within the listing being ranked, sorted, orotherwise ordered primarily by their viability groupings, and thenranked, sorted, or otherwise ordered secondarily within the viabilitygroupings in a manner that reflects the parameter group viabilityscores. In this regard, destinations in the higher viability groups aredisplayed preferentially (or with precedence) over destinations in lowerviability groups, and within those groups, destinations having higherquantitative viability are displayed preferentially (or with precedence)over destinations in that group. Thus, a vehicle operator can quicklydiscern which destinations are more or less viable relative to otherdestinations.

Additionally, graphical indicia representative of the parameter groupviability states associated with each potential destination may also bedisplayed in association with the destination. Thus, a vehicle operatoror other user can also quickly ascertain each potential destination'squalitative viability across a number of different categories, whileconcurrently gauging that destination's qualitative viability relativeto other potential destinations. The graphical indicia representative ofthe parameter group viability states associated with each potentialdestination may also be utilized to graphically represent thatparticular destination on a navigational map, for example, by displayinggraphical indicia representative of the parameter group viability statesfor a destination on the navigational map at the location correspondingto the geographic location of that destination. Thus, a vehicle operatoror other user can concurrently achieve situational awareness of theviability characteristics of particular destination displayed on thenavigational map while also maintaining awareness of the location ofthat destination relative to the vehicle.

For example, in one or more embodiments, as described in greater detailbelow in the context of FIGS. 7-8, the current (or most recent) oranticipated values for base parameters representative of (or indicativeof) a current or anticipated status of the aircraft at one or morelocations along the flight path segment (e.g., fuel remaining, aircraftweight, altitude, airspeed, heading, mechanical configuration, and thelike) may be obtained using systems onboard the aircraft, while current(or most recent) or anticipated values for base parametersrepresentative of (or indicative of) the current status of potentialdiversion airports may be obtained from external systems. For eachpotential diversion airport, parameter group viability states andparameter group viability scores are determined for each of a pluralityof parameter groups using the base parameter values for the aircraftstatus and the base parameter values for the airport status, along withany base parameter values characterizing the current or anticipatedstatus of the route to/from the airport and/or complex parameter valuescalculated for the airport using the base parameters. The potentialdiversion airports are then classified into different airport viabilitygroupings, and then the airports are ranked within their associatedviability grouping based on their associated viability scores for theparameter groups. The highest ranked airport within the grouping havingthe highest viability is identified as the recommended diversion airportwith respect to the flight path segment being analyzed, and acorresponding notification is provided to the pilot or other user.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of a system 100 whichmay be located onboard a vehicle, such as an aircraft 102, includes,without limitation, a display device 104, a user input device 106, aprocessing system 108, a display system 110, a communications system112, a navigation system 114, a flight management system (FMS) 116, oneor more avionics systems 118, one or more detection systems 120, and oneor more data storage elements 122, 124 cooperatively configured tosupport operation of the system 100, as described in greater detailbelow.

In exemplary embodiments, the display device 104 is realized as anelectronic display capable of graphically displaying flight informationor other data associated with operation of the aircraft 102 undercontrol of the display system 110 and/or processing system 108. In thisregard, the display device 104 is coupled to the display system 110 andthe processing system 108, wherein the processing system 108 and thedisplay system 110 are cooperatively configured to display, render, orotherwise convey one or more graphical representations or imagesassociated with operation of the aircraft 102 on the display device 104.For example, as described in greater detail below, a navigational mapthat includes a graphical representation of the aircraft 102 and one ormore of the terrain, meteorological conditions, airspace, air traffic,navigational reference points, and a route associated with a flight planof the aircraft 102 may be displayed, rendered, or otherwise presentedon the display device 104.

The user input device 106 is coupled to the processing system 108, andthe user input device 106 and the processing system 108 arecooperatively configured to allow a user (e.g., a pilot, co-pilot, orcrew member) to interact with the display device 104 and/or otherelements of the aircraft system 100, as described in greater detailbelow. Depending on the embodiment, the user input device 106 may berealized as a keypad, touchpad, keyboard, mouse, touch panel (ortouchscreen), joystick, knob, line select key or another suitable deviceadapted to receive input from a user. In some embodiments, the userinput device 106 is realized as an audio input device, such as amicrophone, audio transducer, audio sensor, or the like, that is adaptedto allow a user to provide audio input to the aircraft system 100 in a“hands free” manner without requiring the user to move his or her hands,eyes and/or head to interact with the aircraft system 100.

The processing system 108 generally represents the hardware, circuitry,processing logic, and/or other components configured to facilitatecommunications and/or interaction between the elements of the aircraftsystem 100 and perform additional processes, tasks and/or functions tosupport operation of the aircraft system 100, as described in greaterdetail below. Depending on the embodiment, the processing system 108 maybe implemented or realized with a general purpose processor, acontroller, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a content addressablememory, a digital signal processor, an application specific integratedcircuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, processing core,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed toperform the functions described herein. In practice, the processingsystem 108 includes processing logic that may be configured to carry outthe functions, techniques, and processing tasks associated with theoperation of the aircraft system 100 described in greater detail below.Furthermore, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connectionwith the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly inhardware, in firmware, in a software module executed by the processingsystem 108, or in any practical combination thereof. In accordance withone or more embodiments, the processing system 108 includes or otherwiseaccesses a data storage element 124, such as a memory (e.g., RAM memory,ROM memory, flash memory, registers, a hard disk, or the like) oranother suitable non-transitory short or long term storage media capableof storing computer-executable programming instructions or other datafor execution that, when read and executed by the processing system 108,cause the processing system 108 to execute and perform one or more ofthe processes, tasks, operations, and/or functions described herein.

The display system 110 generally represents the hardware, firmware,processing logic and/or other components configured to control thedisplay and/or rendering of one or more displays pertaining to operationof the aircraft 102 and/or systems 112, 114, 116, 118, 120 on thedisplay device 104 (e.g., synthetic vision displays, navigational maps,and the like). In this regard, the display system 110 may access orinclude one or more databases 122 suitably configured to supportoperations of the display system 110, such as, for example, a terraindatabase, an obstacle database, a navigational database, a geopoliticaldatabase, a terminal airspace database, a special use airspace database,or other information for rendering and/or displaying navigational mapsand/or other content on the display device 104. In this regard, inaddition to including a graphical representation of terrain, anavigational map displayed on the display device 104 may includegraphical representations of navigational reference points (e.g.,waypoints, navigational aids, distance measuring equipment (DMEs), veryhigh frequency omnidirectional radio ranges (VORs), and the like),designated special use airspaces, obstacles, and the like overlying theterrain on the map.

As described in greater detail below, in an exemplary embodiment, theprocessing system 108 includes or otherwise accesses a data storageelement 124 (or database), which maintains information regardingairports and/or other potential landing locations (or destinations) forthe aircraft 102. In this regard, the data storage element 124 maintainsan association between a respective airport, its geographic location,runways (and their respective orientations and/or directions),instrument procedures (e.g., approaches, arrival routes, and the like),airspace restrictions, and/or other information or attributes associatedwith the respective airport (e.g., widths and/or weight limits of taxipaths, the type of surface of the runways or taxi path, and the like).Additionally, in accordance with one or more embodiments, the datastorage element 122 also maintains airport status information for therunways and/or taxi paths at the airport indicating whether or not aparticular runway and/or taxi path is currently operational along withdirectional information for the taxi paths (or portions thereof). Thedata storage element 122 may also be utilized to store or maintain otherinformation pertaining to the airline or aircraft operator (e.g.,contractual agreements or other contractual availability information forparticular airports, maintenance capabilities or service availabilityinformation for particular airports, and the like) along withinformation pertaining to the pilot and/or co-pilot of the aircraft(e.g., experience level, licensure or other qualifications, workschedule or other workload metrics, such as stress or fatigue estimates,and the like).

Still referring to FIG. 1, in an exemplary embodiment, the processingsystem 108 is coupled to the navigation system 114, which is configuredto provide real-time navigational data and/or information regardingoperation of the aircraft 102. The navigation system 114 may be realizedas a global positioning system (GPS), inertial reference system (IRS),or a radio-based navigation system (e.g., VHF omni-directional radiorange (VOR) or long range aid to navigation (LORAN)), and may includeone or more navigational radios or other sensors suitably configured tosupport operation of the navigation system 114, as will be appreciatedin the art. The navigation system 114 is capable of obtaining and/ordetermining the instantaneous position of the aircraft 102, that is, thecurrent (or instantaneous) location of the aircraft 102 (e.g., thecurrent latitude and longitude) and the current (or instantaneous)altitude (or above ground level) for the aircraft 102. The navigationsystem 114 is also capable of obtaining or otherwise determining theheading of the aircraft 102 (i.e., the direction the aircraft istraveling in relative to some reference).

In an exemplary embodiment, the processing system 108 is also coupled tothe FMS 116, which is coupled to the navigation system 114, thecommunications system 112, and one or more additional avionics systems118 to support navigation, flight planning, and other aircraft controlfunctions in a conventional manner, as well as to provide real-time dataand/or information regarding the operational status of the aircraft 102to the processing system 108. It should be noted that although FIG. 1depicts a single avionics system 118, in practice, the aircraft system100 and/or aircraft 102 will likely include numerous avionics systemsfor obtaining and/or providing real-time flight-related information thatmay be displayed on the display device 104 or otherwise provided to auser (e.g., a pilot, a co-pilot, or crew member). For example, practicalembodiments of the aircraft system 100 and/or aircraft 102 will likelyinclude one or more of the following avionics systems suitablyconfigured to support operation of the aircraft 102: a weather system,an air traffic management system, a radar system, a traffic avoidancesystem, an autopilot system, an autothrust system, a flight controlsystem, hydraulics systems, pneumatics systems, environmental systems,electrical systems, engine systems, trim systems, lighting systems, crewalerting systems, electronic checklist systems, an electronic flight bagand/or another suitable avionics system.

In the illustrated embodiment, the onboard detection system(s) 120generally represents the component(s) of the aircraft 102 that arecoupled to the processing system 108 and/or the display system 110 togenerate or otherwise provide information indicative of various objectsor regions of interest within the vicinity of the aircraft 102 that aresensed, detected, or otherwise identified by a respective onboarddetection system 120. For example, an onboard detection system 120 maybe realized as a weather radar system or other weather sensing systemthat measures, senses, or otherwise detects meteorological conditions inthe vicinity of the aircraft 102 and provides corresponding radar data(e.g., radar imaging data, range setting data, angle setting data,and/or the like) to one or more of the other onboard systems 108, 110,114, 116, 118 for further processing and/or handling. For example, theprocessing system 108 and/or the display system 110 may generate orotherwise provide graphical representations of the meteorologicalconditions identified by the onboard detection system 120 on the displaydevice 104 (e.g., on or overlying a lateral navigational map display).In another embodiment, an onboard detection system 120 may be realizedas a collision avoidance system that measures, senses, or otherwisedetects air traffic, obstacles, terrain and/or the like in the vicinityof the aircraft 102 and provides corresponding detection data to one ormore of the other onboard systems 108, 110, 114, 116, 118.

In the illustrated embodiment, the processing system 108 is also coupledto the communications system 112, which is configured to supportcommunications to and/or from the aircraft 102 via a communicationsnetwork. For example, the communications system 112 may also include adata link system or another suitable radio communication system thatsupports communications between the aircraft 102 and one or moreexternal monitoring systems, air traffic control, and/or another commandcenter or ground location. In this regard, the communications system 112may allow the aircraft 102 to receive information that would otherwisebe unavailable to the pilot and/or co-pilot using the onboard systems114, 116, 118, 120. For example, the communications system 112 mayreceive meteorological information from an external weather monitoringsystem, such as a Doppler radar monitoring system, a convective forecastsystem (e.g., a collaborative convective forecast product (CCFP) ornational convective weather forecast (NCWF) system), an infraredsatellite system, or the like, that is capable of providing informationpertaining to the type, location and/or severity of precipitation,icing, turbulence, convection, cloud cover, wind shear, wind speed,lightning, freezing levels, cyclonic activity, thunderstorms, or thelike along with other weather advisories, warnings, and/or watches. Themeteorological information provided by an external weather monitoringsystem may also include forecast meteorological data that is generatedbased on historical trends and/or other weather observations, and mayinclude forecasted meteorological data for geographical areas that arebeyond the range of any weather detection systems 120 onboard theaircraft 102. In other embodiments, the processing system 108 may storeor otherwise maintain historic meteorological data previously receivedfrom an external weather monitoring system, with the processing system108 calculating or otherwise determining forecast meteorological forgeographic areas of interest to the aircraft 102 based on the storedmeteorological data and the current (or most recently received)meteorological data from the external weather monitoring system. In thisregard, the meteorological information from the external weathermonitoring system may be operationally used to obtain a “big picture”strategic view of the current weather phenomena and trends in itschanges in intensity and/or movement with respect to prospectiveoperation of the aircraft 102.

It should be understood that FIG. 1 is a simplified representation ofthe aircraft system 100 for purposes of explanation and ease ofdescription, and FIG. 1 is not intended to limit the application orscope of the subject matter described herein in any way. It should beappreciated that although FIG. 1 shows the display device 104, the userinput device 106, and the processing system 108 as being located onboardthe aircraft 102 (e.g., in the cockpit), in practice, one or more of thedisplay device 104, the user input device 106, and/or the processingsystem 108 may be located outside the aircraft 102 (e.g., on the groundas part of an air traffic control center or another command center) andcommunicatively coupled to the remaining elements of the aircraft system100 (e.g., via a data link and/or communications system 112). In thisregard, in some embodiments, the display device 104, the user inputdevice 106, and/or the processing system 108 may be implemented as anelectronic flight bag that is separate from the aircraft 102 but capableof being communicatively coupled to the other elements of the aircraftsystem 100 when onboard the aircraft 102. Similarly, in someembodiments, the data storage element 124 may be located outside theaircraft 102 and communicatively coupled to the processing system 108via a data link and/or communications system 112. Furthermore, practicalembodiments of the aircraft system 100 and/or aircraft 102 will includenumerous other devices and components for providing additional functionsand features, as will be appreciated in the art. In this regard, it willbe appreciated that although FIG. 1 shows a single display device 104,in practice, additional display devices may be present onboard theaircraft 102. Additionally, it should be noted that in otherembodiments, features and/or functionality of processing system 108described herein can be implemented by or otherwise integrated with thefeatures and/or functionality provided by the display system 110 or theFMS 116, or vice versa. In other words, some embodiments may integratethe processing system 108 with the display system 110 or the FMS 116;that is, the processing system 108 may be a component of the displaysystem 110 and/or the FMS 116.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in an exemplary embodiment, the system 100 isconfigured to support a route diversion selection process 200 andperform additional tasks, functions, and operations described below. Thevarious tasks performed in connection with the illustrated process 200may be implemented using hardware, firmware, software executed byprocessing circuitry, or any combination thereof. For illustrativepurposes, the following description may refer to elements mentionedabove in connection with FIG. 1. In practice, portions of the routediversion selection process 200 may be performed by different elementsof the system 100, such as, the processing system 108, the displaysystem 110, the communications system 112, the navigation system 114,the FMS 116, the onboard avionics systems 118 and/or the onboarddetection systems 120. It should be appreciated that the route diversionselection process 200 may include any number of additional oralternative tasks, the tasks need not be performed in the illustratedorder and/or the tasks may be performed concurrently, and/or the routediversion selection process 200 may be incorporated into a morecomprehensive procedure or process having additional functionality notdescribed in detail herein. Moreover, one or more of the tasks shown anddescribed in the context of FIG. 2 could be omitted from a practicalembodiment of the route diversion selection process 200 as long as theintended overall functionality remains intact.

In one or more embodiments, the route diversion selection process 200 isperformed with respect to a particular flight plan prior to departure ofthe aircraft along that flight plan. For example, the route diversionselection process 200 may be performed while the aircraft is on theground to enable a pilot to review the route defined by the flight planand designate his or her desired diversion (or alternate) destinationsalong the route for use in the event of an emergency or other situationnecessitating a diversion.

In an exemplary embodiment, the route diversion selection process 200begins by identifying or otherwise determining a flight path segment forwhich potential diversion destinations should be analyzed (task 202). Inthis regard, the route defined by the flight plan may be subdivided intoa series of consecutive segments that make up the route. In exemplaryembodiments, when the aircraft has not yet begun executing the flightplan, the route diversion selection process 200 begins by analyzing theinitial flight path segment closest to the departure location andproceeds sequentially through the flight path segments from thedeparture location to the destination location until a diversion airporthas been selected for each flight path segment. That said, in otherembodiments, the route diversion selection process 200 may begin atother locations within the route of the flight plan. For example, whenperformed during operation of the aircraft in accordance with the flightplan, the route diversion selection process 200 may begin by identifyingand analyzing a flight path segment that the aircraft is currentlytraversing.

In practice, the flight path segments may be defined in any number ofways. For example, in one or more embodiments, the pilot, co-pilot, orthe like may manipulate a GUI display to define the number segments forwhich the flight plan route should be divided into along with thecorresponding length (e.g., geographic distance and/or flight timeduration) associated with the respective segments. In other embodiments,the selection process 200 may automatically divide the route of theflight plan into a number of equal segments having the same length orduration, which may be manually defined by the pilot or other user. Inone or more embodiments, the flight path segments are definedindependent of the navigational reference points that define the routeof the flight plan. For example, a respective flight path segment maybegin at a first geographic location along the flight plan route betweentwo successive navigational reference points defining the flight planroute and end at a second geographic location along the flight planroute between another set of navigational reference points. That said,in other embodiments, the flight path segments may be defined by thenavigational reference points of the flight plan. For example, eachflight path segment may begin at one navigational reference point andend at the next successive reference point.

After identifying the flight path segment of interest, the selectionprocess 200 continues by identifying or otherwise determining a subsetof potential airports to be analyzed with respect to that flight pathsegment based on the flight path segment (task 204). In this regard, theselection process 200 may apply one or more filtering criteria to all ofthe potential diversion destinations within a geographic areaencompassing the entire route of the flight plan to reduce the number ofdiversion destinations for analysis as those most relevant to the flightpath segment of interest. For example, the selection process 200 mayfilter or otherwise exclude from further analysis any airports that arenot within a threshold geographic distance of the flight path segment,within a threshold flight time of the flight path segment, and/orrequire more than a threshold amount of fuel to reach from one or morelocations along or throughout the entire duration of the flight pathsegment. In this regard, the selection process 200 may individuallyanalyze discrete locations along the flight path segment to ensure thateach airport retained in the subset is likely to be within the thresholddistance or flight time of the aircraft during operation along thatflight path segment and be reachable by the aircraft given the currentor anticipated amount of fuel onboard.

For example, the selection process 200 may confirm that at least thestarting location of the flight path segment, the ending location of theflight path segment, and one or more intermediate locations along theflight path segment (e.g., the midpoint between the starting and endinglocations) are each within the threshold distance or flight time of apotential diversion airport, otherwise that particular potentialdiversion airport is excluded from further analysis with respect to theflight path segment. In one or more embodiments, the threshold distanceor flight time is calculated or otherwise determined based on theanticipated amount of fuel remaining onboard the aircraft at one or morelocations along the flight path segment being analyzed (e.g., thepredicted amount of fuel remaining at the end of the flight pathsegment). In other embodiments, the pilot or other user may define(e.g., via one or more GUI elements) the filtering criteria to beutilized to limit the diversion destinations considered. In oneembodiment, the currently displayed geographic area of a navigationalmap displayed on the display device 104 is used as a filteringcriterion, such that only airports or destinations within the displayedgeographic area are considered by excluding airports that are notlocated within the displayed geographic area.

Still referring to FIG. 2, after identifying the subset of airports tobe analyzed, the selection process 200 continues by ranking,prioritizing, or otherwise ordering the airports within the subset ofairports relevant to the flight path segment in terms of their relativeviabilities with respect to the aircraft, and generating or otherwiseproviding graphical indicia of the recommended airport(s) with respectto the flight path segment (tasks 206, 208). In exemplary embodiments,as described in greater detail below in the context of FIGS. 7-8, theroute diversion selection process 200 ranks the airports using real-time(or near real-time), forecasted, or anticipated status information andthe airports' respective viabilities for various parameter groupings.For example, for each airport of the filtered subset, route diversionselection process 200 receives or otherwise obtains current and/oranticipated status information for the respective airport, such as, forexample, current and/or forecasted meteorological conditions, currentand/or anticipated operating status of the runways at the airport,current and/or anticipated airspace restrictions at the airport, and thelike. The route diversion selection process 200 also obtains statusinformation associated with the flight path segment for the aircraft 102using the flight plan maintained by the FMS 116, such as, for example,the anticipated altitude (or above ground level) for the aircraft 102 atone or more locations along the flight path segment according to theflight plan, the anticipated locations of the aircraft 102 along theflight path segment, the anticipated aircraft headings at one or morelocations along the flight path segment according to the flight plan,the anticipated aircraft velocity along the flight path segmentaccording to the flight plan, the anticipated amount of fuel remainingonboard the aircraft, and the like. In this regard, in some embodiments,the status information associated with the flight path segment for theaircraft 102 may be calculated as an average of the values across theentire length of the flight path segment (e.g., by averaging thealtitude at the start of the segment and the altitude at the end of thesegment). When the route diversion selection process 200 is performedduring execution of the flight path segment being analyzed, theselection process 200 obtains the current real-time status informationfor the aircraft 102, such as the current or instantaneous altitude,location, heading, velocity, and the like.

As described in greater detail below in the context of FIGS. 7-8, in oneor more embodiments, for each airport, a respective parameter groupviability score is determined for each of a plurality of parametergroups using the status information for that airport and the aircraft.Additionally, a respective parameter group viability state is determinedfor each of the plurality of parameter groups for the respectiveairport. Based on the respective parameter group viability states, theairports are then classified into different aggregate viability groups.In this regard, the airports classified into a respective one of theaggregate viability groups represent a subset of the airports beinganalyzed having a substantially similar viability status. Each airportis then ranked within its respective viability group based on itsrespective parameter group viability scores relative to those of otherairports within its respective aggregate viability group. Thus, betteror more preferred airports may be discerned from other airports with thesame general viability. Thereafter, the identified airports within thefiltered subset are then ranked or otherwise ordered primarily based onthe respective aggregate viability groupings and then secondarily basedon each respective airports relative ranking within its respectiveaggregate viability group, resulting in a prioritized list of thepotential diversion destinations for the flight path segment.

In exemplary embodiments, the route diversion selection process 200highlights, indicates, or otherwise identifies the recommendedairport(s) for the flight path segment on the display device 104. Forexample, a graphical representation of the highest ranked airport may berendered with a visually distinguishable characteristic to provide avisual cue highlighting that airport relative to the graphicalrepresentations of other airports within the filtered subset that wasanalyzed for the flight path segment. In some embodiments, the selectionprocess 200 generates or otherwise provides an ordered list of theranked airports, with the recommended airport(s) being preferentiallydisplayed (e.g., at the top of the list, at the left within the list,visually distinguished within the list, etc.).

In one or more embodiments, the route diversion selection process 200also displays or otherwise presents graphical indicia of the respectiveparameter group viability states for each airport presented. In thisregard, while highlighting the recommended airport(s) or providing anordered list on the display device 104 allows a pilot or other user toimmediately distinguish which airports are most viable from those thatare less viable, the parameter group viability state indicia allow thepilot to quickly discern the general viability characteristicsassociated with each individual airport presented. In exemplaryembodiments, each parameter group viability state is rendered with avisually distinguishable characteristic that is different from those ofthe other parameter group viability states. The visually distinguishingcharacteristic may include one or more of a visually distinguishablecolor, hue, tint, brightness, graphically depicted texture or pattern,contrast, transparency, opacity, shading, animation, line type, and/orother graphical effect that visually distinguish a parameter groupviability state. In one exemplary embodiment, the route diversionselection process 200 supports three different parameter group viabilitystates, with the visually distinguishing characteristics being realizedas three distinct colors. For example, the highest or best parametergroup viability state may be indicated using a green color, with thelowest or worst parameter group viability state being indicated using ared color, and the intermediate parameter group viability state beingindicated using a yellow color.

In one or more embodiments, the symbologies or representations of thepresented airports are selectable, and the route diversion selectionprocess 200 displays or otherwise presents detail information for therespective parameter groups for an individual airport in response toselection of that airport. In this regard, when the user input device106 is manipulated to select a particular airport on the display device104, the processing system 108 may generate or otherwise provide apop-up or other graphical user interface (GUI) display on the displaydevice 104 that includes more specific or detailed information regardingthe parameter group viability states for that airport, which may beordered by perceived relevance. The detail information may include thefactors or criteria that primarily governed assigning or classifying aparticular viability state to a particular parameter group. For example,in the case of a binary parameter resulting in the lowest viabilitydesignation, the detail information may include further informationregarding that parameter. Additionally, the detail information may alsobe displayed or otherwise rendered using the same visuallydistinguishable characteristic as its associated parameter groupviability state. For example, detail information regarding a binaryparameter resulting in the lowest viability designation for a particularparameter group may be rendered in red. Conversely, detail informationregarding a parameter that contributes to or otherwise results in thehighest viability designation for a particular parameter group may berendered in green.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the selection process 200 continues bydesignating or otherwise associating an alternate airport with theflight path segment (task 210). In one or more embodiments, theselection process 200 automatically establishes an initial associationbetween the highest ranked (or recommended) airport and the flight pathsegment. In other embodiments, the selection process 200 establishes theassociation in response to receiving an input from the pilot or otheruser indicative of a desired airport from among the subset of airportscapable of being associated with the flight path segment (e.g., thoseremaining in the filtered subset at task 204). In this regard, in someembodiments, the highest ranked airport from the filtered subset may beassigned to the flight path segment by default, but that assignment iscapable of being overridden by the pilot. For example, as described ingreater detail below in the context of FIG. 3, one or more graphicaluser interface (GUI) elements may be provided that allow the pilot toselect and associate an airport that is not the highest ranked airportwith respect to a given flight path segment. In exemplary embodiments,the association between the flight path segment and diversion airportand the corresponding definitions of the flight path segment aremaintained in conjunction with the flight plan (e.g., in a data storageelement associated with or accessible to the FMS 116) to facilitateproviding graphical representations of the flight path segment and thecorresponding diversion destination during execution of the flight plan,as described in greater detail below.

In exemplary embodiments, once a diversion airport is associated with aflight path segment, the selection process 200 is repeated for the nextflight path segment following that initial flight path segment until adiversion airport has been associated or assigned to each flight pathsegment of a flight plan. In this regard, the selection process 200 maygenerate or otherwise provide a diversion airport selection GUI displaysequence (or wizard) that steps through the flight path segments of aflight plan to allow the pilot or other user to manually review thehighest ranked airport associated with each flight path segment andconfirm or override the airport prioritization with respect to thatflight path segment. In other embodiments, the selection process 200 maybe performed essentially as a background process to automatically assignflight path segments with the highest ranked airport for each flightpath segment. For example, in one embodiment, the FMS 116 mayautomatically divide the flight plan into equally sized flight pathsegments, and then automatically associates each flight path segmentwith the highest ranked airport from within the subset of airportssatisfying the applicable filtering criteria (e.g., maximum distance,maximum flight time, maximum fuel required, and/or the like) withrespect to the respective flight path segment. In such embodiments, thepilot or other user may then subsequently review the flight pathsegments and associated default diversion airports and modify the numberand/or length of the flight path segments and/or modify the diversionairport associated with a respective flight path segment.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary navigational map display 300 that may bedisplayed, rendered, or otherwise presented by the display system 110and/or the processing system 108 on the display device 104 inconjunction with the route diversion selection process 200 of FIG. 2.The illustrated navigational map 300 includes a graphical representation302 of the flight plan overlaid or rendered on top of a background 304.In this regard, FIG. 3 depicts a flight plan 302 including fivenavigational reference points 306 defining a route from an initialdeparture location 305 (e.g., airport LGPB) to a destination (orarrival) location 307 (e.g., airport LRPB). In the illustratedembodiment, the map 300 is centered on the flight plan 302 such that thecenter location of the navigational map 300 corresponds to the midpointof the flight plan 302. That said, in alternative embodiments, thecenter location of the navigational map 300 may correspond to ageographic location that is independent of the flight plan 302, forexample, when a user manipulates a user input device 106 to scroll thedisplayed area of the navigational map or select a portion of thedisplayed area that does not include the flight plan 302.

The background 304 comprises a graphical representation of the terrain,topology, navigational reference points, airspace designations and/orrestrictions, or other suitable items or points of interestcorresponding to the currently displayed area of the navigational map300, which may be maintained in a terrain database, a navigationaldatabase, a geopolitical database, or another suitable database. Forexample, the display system 110 may render a graphical representation ofnearby navigational aids (e.g., VORs, VORTACs, DMEs, and the like) andairports within the currently displayed geographic area of thenavigational map 300 overlying the background 304. Some embodiments ofnavigational map 300 may also include graphical representations ofairspace designations and/or airspace restrictions, cities, towns,roads, railroads, and other geo-political information. In addition,depending on the embodiment, other real-time flight related informationthat is within the geographic area corresponding to the currentlydisplayed area of the navigational map 300 or within a particularproximity of the aircraft may be rendered on the map 300, such as, forexample, weather conditions, radar data, neighboring air traffic, andthe like, as will be appreciated in the art. Although FIG. 3 depicts atop view of the navigational map 300 (alternatively referred to as alateral map or lateral view), in practice, alternative embodiments mayutilize various perspective views, such as side views, three-dimensionalviews (e.g., a three-dimensional synthetic vision display), angular orskewed views, and the like.

The illustrated map 300 corresponds to an instance of the selectionprocess 200 being performed prior to the aircraft 102 departing thedeparture location (e.g., airport LGPB). That said, in otherembodiments, the navigational map 300 is associated with the movement ofthe aircraft 102, includes a graphical representation of the aircraft102 overlying the background 304, and the aircraft symbology and/orbackground 304 refreshes or otherwise updates as the aircraft 102travels, such that the graphical representation of the aircraft 102 ispositioned over the terrain background 304 in a manner that accuratelyreflects the current (e.g., instantaneous or substantially real-time)real-world positioning of the aircraft 102 relative to the earth. Forexample, in some embodiments, the aircraft symbology is shown astraveling across the navigational map 300 (e.g., by updating thelocation of the aircraft symbology with respect to the background 304),while in other embodiments, the aircraft symbology may be located at afixed position on the navigational map 300 (e.g., by updating thebackground 304 with respect to the aircraft graphic such that the map300 is maintained centered on and/or aligned with the aircraft graphic).Additionally, depending on the embodiment, the navigational map 300 maybe oriented in a cardinal direction (e.g., oriented north-up so thatmoving upward on the map 300 corresponds to traveling northward), oralternatively, the orientation of the navigational map 300 may betrack-up or heading-up (i.e., aligned such that the aircraft symbologyis always traveling in an upward direction and the background 304adjusted accordingly).

In the illustrated embodiment, the flight plan 302 is divided into threeflight path segments 310, 312, 314 defined independently of thenavigational reference points 306. For example, the length of theportion of the route defined by the flight plan 302 that is not within athreshold distance of the departure location 305, (e.g., the portionwhere an alternate or diversion airport does not need to be defined) maybe automatically divided into a predefined number of flight pathsegments (e.g., four segments) having substantially equal length.Alternatively, the flight plan 302 may be automatically divided intoflight path segments having a predefined distance. That said, in otherembodiments, the pilot or other user may manipulate one or more GUIelements to add or remove flight path segments as well as increaseand/or decrease the length of one or more flight path segments (e.g., bydragging an end of a flight path segment along the flight plan 302 inthe desired direction). In yet other alternative embodiments, the flightplan 302 may be divided into flight path segments defined by theconsecutive waypoints (e.g., six segments between departure anddestination locations 305, 307).

Referring to FIGS. 2-3, in response to identifying a flight path segmentof interest, such as initial flight path segment 310 (e.g., task 202),the display system 110 and/or the processing system 108 graphicallyindicates or otherwise highlights the flight path segment 310 beinganalyzed on the display device 104, for example, by rendering the flightpath segment 310 with a visually distinguishable fill pattern or othervisually distinguishable characteristic. As described above, theselection process 200 identifies a subset of airports 320, 322, 324satisfying applicable filtering criteria with respect to the flight pathsegment 310 and displays, renders, or otherwise graphically indicatesthe potential diversion airports 320, 322, 324 for the flight pathsegment 310 on the map 300. In exemplary embodiments, the airportsymbology presented on the navigational map 300 includes graphicalindicia representative of the parameter group viability states for thedisplayed airports 320, 322, 324. For example, a consolidated graphicalindicia, such as a pie chart where the different sectors (or slices) arerepresentative of the different parameter groups, may also be utilizedfor the airport symbology 320, 322, 324. In this regard, FIG. 3 depictsan embodiment where four different parameter groups are being utilizedto rank the airports, however, it should be appreciated that the subjectmatter is not intended to be limited to any particular number ofparameter groups. It should be noted that the subject matter describedherein is not limited to pie charts, and other similar graphics may beutilized to represent the parameter group states in a consolidatedmanner. In this regard, a concise representation allows for fasterorientation and understanding of the relative airport viability andcomponents thereof.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, each of the sectors of the pie chartindicia for the airports 322, 324 having the highest viability arerendered using the visually distinguishable characteristic associatedwith the highest parameter group viability state (e.g., green). In thismanner, the pilot of the aircraft 102 can quickly identify thoseairports 322, 324 as having the highest viability state across thevarious parameter groups with respect to the current flight path segment310 being analyzed. The display system 110 and/or the processing system108 also displays, renders, or otherwise provides an additional visuallydistinguishable graphical indication 325 associated with the LKBPairport symbology 324 to indicate that airport LKBP is recommended orhighest ranked with respect to flight path segment 310. Thus, a pilotcan quickly identify that airport LKBP 324 was scored higher than theother airports 320, 322 with respect to the current flight path segment310. In some embodiments, an ordered list of the potential airports forthe flight path segment of interest may be displayed on the map 300. Forexample, a list including a graphical representation of airport LKBP 324preferentially displayed over the remaining airports 320, 322 may bedisplayed on the navigational map 304, with a graphical representationof airport LKPL 322 being preferentially displayed over airport LKDD320, thereby allowing the pilot to quickly ascertain the relativeviability of all of the depicted airports 320, 322, 324.

One or more of the sectors of the pie chart indicia for the airportsymbology 320 associated with the airport having an intermediate or lowviability are rendered using the visually distinguishable characteristicassociated with the corresponding intermediate or lower parameter groupviability state (e.g., yellow, red, or the like), while remainingsectors of the pie chart indicia 410 for each respective airport arerendered using the visually distinguishable characteristic associatedwith the highest parameter group viability state (e.g., green). Thus,the pilot of the aircraft 102 can quickly identify the number ofparameter groups for airport LKDD 320 that do not have the highestviability state, as well as identify which parameter group(s) couldpotentially compromise or complicate landing at airport LKDD 320.

In one or more embodiments, the airport symbology 320, 322, 324 isselectable or otherwise manipulable by a user to designate and therebyassign a particular diversion airport to the flight path segment 310being analyzed. That said, in other embodiments, a GUI element 330, suchas a window or drop box, or another GUI display may be presented on thedisplay device 104 (e.g., on, overlying, or adjacent to the map 300)that allows the user to manually input the desired diversion airport byselecting, activating, manipulating, or otherwise interacting with therespective GUI element 330 (e.g., textually, via speech recognition,dragging and dropping the airport symbology for the desired airport, orthe like). For example, FIG. 3 depicts an example where the pilot dragsand drops the LKPL symbol 322 into the alternate airport selection box330 to thereby override and designate LKPL as the alternate airport forthe flight path segment 310 instead of the more highly ranked LKBPairport. In response to identifying selection of a desired diversionairport for the flight path segment 310 being analyzed, the processingsystem 108 updates the flight plan data maintained in the data storageelement 124 to include information identifying the desired diversionairport in association with the information defining the flight pathsegment 310 for which the selected diversion airport is active orotherwise applicable.

After selection of an airport for association with the flight pathsegment 310, the display system 110 and/or the processing system 108 mayupdate the navigational map 300 by removing the displayed airports 320,322, 324, deemphasizing the previously analyzed flight path segment 310,and sequentially proceeding to the next flight segment 312. In thisregard, the selection process 200 repeats by graphically indicating orhighlighting the next flight path segment 312 to be analyzed on thedisplay device 104 along with providing graphical representations of thepotential diversion airports associated with the next flight pathsegment 312, graphical indicia of the recommended or highest rankeddiversion airport for the next flight path segment 312, graphicalindicia of the relative viabilities of the potential diversion airportspresented, and so on until diversion airports have been designated orotherwise associated with flight path segments 312, 314 that make up theremainder of the flight plan 302.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an en route diversion displaydiversion display process 400 suitable for implementation by the system100 in conjunction with the route diversion selection process 200 ofFIG. 2. The various tasks performed in connection with the illustrateddiversion display process 400 may be implemented using hardware,firmware, software executed by processing circuitry, or any combinationthereof. For illustrative purposes, the following description may referto elements mentioned above in connection with FIG. 1. In practice,portions of the en route diversion display diversion display process 400may be performed by different elements of the system 100, such as, theprocessing system 108, the display system 110, the communications system112, the navigation system 114, the FMS 116, the onboard avionicssystems 118 and/or the onboard detection systems 120. It should beappreciated that the en route diversion display diversion displayprocess 400 may include any number of additional or alternative tasks,the tasks need not be performed in the illustrated order and/or thetasks may be performed concurrently, and/or the en route diversiondisplay diversion display process 400 may be incorporated into a morecomprehensive procedure or process having additional functionality notdescribed in detail herein. Moreover, one or more of the tasks shown anddescribed in the context of FIG. 4 could be omitted from a practicalembodiment of the diversion display diversion display process 400 aslong as the intended overall functionality remains intact.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the en route diversion displaydiversion display process 400 is performed while the aircraft 102 is enroute along a flight plan for which the selection process 200 haspreviously been performed to designate or associate diversiondestinations along the route. In such embodiments, the en routediversion display diversion display process 400 dynamically analyzes theviability of the potential diversion airports for the current flightpath segment actively being flown by the aircraft 102 based on currentreal-time status information associated with the aircraft 102 and thediversion airports and notifies the pilot or other user associated withoperation of the aircraft 102 when the recommended or highest rankeddiversion destination is different from one previously associated withthe current flight path segment. That said, in other embodiments, the enroute diversion display diversion display process 400 may also beperformed without diversion destinations being previously selected alongthe route, in which case, the en route diversion display diversiondisplay process 400 dynamically indicates a recommended diversionairport to the pilot in real-time.

In an exemplary embodiment, the en route diversion display diversiondisplay process 400 begins by receiving or otherwise obtaining currentstatus information associated with the aircraft (task 402). The currentstatus information pertaining to the aircraft 102 generally representsthe instantaneous, real-time or most recent available values for one ormore parameters that quantify the current operation of the aircraft 102.In this regard, the current aircraft status information provides one ormore base parameters for scoring or otherwise grading the viability ofan airport with respect to one or more parameter groups, as described ingreater detail below. For example, the processing system 108 may obtain(e.g., from FMS 116, navigation system 114 and/or other avionic systems118) one or more of the following: the current flight phase for theaircraft 102, the current location of the aircraft 102 (or a particulardistance from a navigational reference point or a desired track), thecurrent altitude (or above ground level) of the aircraft 102, thecurrent heading (or bearing) of the aircraft 102, the current amount offuel remaining onboard the aircraft 102, the current engine status(e.g., whether any engine is disabled, whether afterburners are inoperation, the current revolutions per minute, and/or the like), thecurrent aircraft configuration (e.g., the current flap configuration).Additionally, the processing system 108 may obtain, either from theonboard detection systems 120 or an external system via communicationssystem 112, current meteorological conditions at or near the currentlocation of the aircraft 102 (e.g., the current temperature, wind speed,wind direction, atmospheric pressure, turbulence, and the like), thecurrent air traffic or other obstacles at or near the current locationof the aircraft 102, and the like.

The diversion display process 400 continues by identifying or otherwisedetermining the flight path segment for which potential diversiondestinations should be analyzed (task 404). In this regard, using thecurrent location, the current heading, the current velocity or airspeed,and the like, the diversion display process 400 identifies which of theflight path segments associated with the flight plan should be analyzedbased on the aircraft's current status along the route. In one or moreexemplary embodiments, the diversion display process 400 identifies theflight path segment that most closely corresponds to the currentaircraft location and heading as the flight path segment to be analyzed,that is, the flight path segment the aircraft 102 is currently travelingalong (i.e., the current flight path segment). For example, theprocessing system 108 may compare the current geographic location of theaircraft 102 with the information defining the flight path segments thatthe flight plan is divided into (e.g., task 202), and then identifywhich flight path segment the current aircraft location matches orotherwise corresponds to. In this regard, the current aircraft headingmay also be utilized to resolve any ambiguities at or near thetransition between flight path segments.

In some embodiments, when the current aircraft location is within athreshold distance of the ending location for the current flight pathsegment, the processing system 108 may select or otherwise identify thenext flight path segment following the flight path segment the aircraft102 is currently traveling along for analysis. In other words, based onthe current location, heading and/or velocity of the aircraft 102 withrespect to the end of the current flight path segment, the diversiondisplay process 400 may intelligently identify that a future flight pathsegment should be analyzed due to the unlikelihood of a diversion beforethe aircraft 102 finishes traveling the current flight path segment.That said, for purposes of explanation, the subject matter may bedescribed herein primarily in the context of the current flight pathsegment the aircraft 102 is currently traveling along.

Once the flight path segment to be analyzed is identified, the diversiondisplay process 400 continues by analyzing potential diversion airportswith respect to the remaining portion of that flight path segment yet tobe flown by the aircraft based on the current status informationassociated with the aircraft along with the current status informationassociated with the potential diversion airports (tasks 406, 408, 410).In a similar manner as described above, in exemplary embodiments, thediversion display process 400 continues by identifying or otherwisedetermining a subset of potential airports to be analyzed with respectto the current flight path segment based on the current aircraft statusinformation and the remaining flight path segment. In this regard, thediversion display process 400 may similarly apply one or more filteringcriteria to reduce the number of diversion destinations for analysis tothose most relevant to the remaining portion of the flight path segmentyet to be flown ahead of the current aircraft location. For example,starting from the current aircraft location, the diversion displayprocess 400 may individually analyze discrete locations ahead of theaircraft along the current flight path segment to ensure that eachairport retained in the subset is likely to be within the thresholddistance or flight time of the aircraft during future operation alongthe flight path segment. In a similar manner as described above, theselection process 200 may confirm that at least the current location ofthe aircraft 102, the ending location of the flight path segment, andthe midpoint of the flight path segment between the current aircraftlocation and the end of the flight path segment are each within thethreshold distance or flight time of a potential diversion airportbefore including that particular potential diversion airport for furtheranalysis.

In one or more embodiments, the threshold distance, flight time, orother filtering criteria are dynamically calculated or otherwisedetermined in real-time based on the current amount of fuel remainingonboard the aircraft, the current aircraft altitude, the currentaircraft velocity, and the like, as well as accounting for currentstatus information along the remainder of the flight path segment (e.g.,meteorological conditions along the route, and the like). In thisregard, the subset of potential diversion destinations to be analyzedwith respect to the remainder of the current flight path segment aheadof the current aircraft location may be different from those that wereincluded initially when the selection process 200 was performed on theground due to changes that have occurred during flight, such thatcurrent status information associated with the aircraft 102 and/or theroute is different from what was initially anticipated or expected priorto the aircraft 102 reaching or traversing the current segment, inconjunction with a reduced portion of the current flight path segmentbeing considered due to preceding portions of the flight path segmenthaving already been traversed by the aircraft 102.

After identifying the subset of airports to be analyzed with respect tothe remainder of the current flight path segment, the diversion displayprocess 400 receives or otherwise obtains current status informationpertaining to the remaining airports to be analyzed, as well aspotentially receiving or obtaining current status information pertainingto routes between the remainder of the flight path segment and any oneor more of the airports being analyzed. The current status informationpertaining to the airports generally represents the instantaneous,real-time or most recent available information that quantifies thecurrent operations at the respective airports within the subset ofpotential diversion airports to be analyzed with respect to the currentflight path segment. The current airport status information associatedwith a particular airport provides one or more base parameters forscoring or otherwise grading the viability of that airport with respectto one or more parameter groups, as described in greater detail below.For example, the processing system 108 may obtain, for each airport, oneor more of the following: the current meteorological conditions at ornear the airport, the current operational status of the runways and/ortaxiways at the airport, the current air traffic conditions for theairport, any current auxiliary reports applicable to the airport (e.g.,NOTAMs, PIREPs, SIGMETs, and the like), any current airspacerestrictions, current meteorological forecast information for thegeographic area encompassing the airport, and the like. Based on thecurrent location of the aircraft 102, locations along the remainder ofthe flight path segment, and the respective locations of the airportsbeing analyzed, the processing system 108 may also obtain current statusinformation for potential routes from the current flight path segment toa particular airport, which also provides one or more base parametersfor scoring or otherwise grading the viability of that airport withrespect to one or more parameter groups, as described in greater detailbelow.

After identifying the subset of airports to be analyzed, the diversiondisplay process 400 continues by ranking, prioritizing, or otherwiseordering the airports within the subset of airports relevant to theremainder flight path segment in terms of their relative viabilitieswith respect to the aircraft based on the current aircraft statusinformation, the current airport status information, and the currentroute status information. In this regard, the potential diversionairports are scored and then ordered in terms of relative viability.

Thereafter, the diversion display process 400 continues by generating orotherwise providing graphical indication of the recommended diversionairport for the remainder of the current flight path segment (task 412).In some embodiments where a previously selected diversion airport isalso the highest ranked or recommended diversion airport, the diversiondisplay process 400 may display symbology on a navigational map for thatairport along with additional graphical indicia (e.g., indicia 325) thatnotifies the pilot that the selected diversion airport for the currentflight path segment is the recommended or optimal diversion airport. Insome embodiments, in the absence of a previously selected diversionairport, the diversion display process 400 may similarly displaysymbology on a navigational map for that airport to notify the pilot ofthe recommended diversion airport, either with or without additionalgraphical indicia.

In one or more embodiments, when the previously selected diversionairport for the current flight path segment is not the highest ranked orrecommended diversion airport for the remainder of the flight pathsegment, the diversion display process 400 may concurrently displaysymbology corresponding to the recommended diversion airport along withsymbology for the selected diversion airport on the navigational map,with the symbology for the recommended diversion airport being renderedwith a visually distinguishable characteristic or other graphicalindicia that notifies the pilot of the existence of a potentiallypreferable diversion airport other than the selected diversion airportfor the remainder of the current flight path segment. In one or moreembodiments, the airport symbologies also provide graphical indicia ofthe parameter group states for both the recommended and selecteddiversion airports when displayed concurrently, thereby allowing thepilot to quickly ascertain any relative differences between the twoairports. Additionally, one or more GUI elements may be provided on thenavigational map display that are configured to allow the pilot or otheruser to modify the diversion airport associated with the current flightpath segment, for example, by selecting the newly recommended diversionairport in lieu of the previously selected diversion airport for thesegment. For example, in a similar manner as described above in thecontext of FIG. 3, a drop box or other GUI element (e.g., GUI element330) may be presented that allows the pilot to drag and drop, select, orotherwise input the newly recommended diversion airport, and therebymodify the diversion airport associated with the current flight pathsegment. In response to identifying selection of the recommendeddiversion airport for the current flight path segment, the processingsystem 108 may automatically update the flight plan data maintained inthe data storage element 124 to associate that airport with the currentflight path segment.

The diversion display process 400 may periodically repeat to dynamicallyupdate the navigational map display to indicate the highest rankeddiversion airport for the current flight path segment in real-time toreflect ongoing changes to aircraft status information, airport statusinformation, route status information, and the like. Thus, when aselected or previously indicated diversion airport is believed to besuboptimal, the pilot may be apprised of a potentially better availableoption, which, in turn, increases the pilot's situational awareness aswell as improving the likelihood of successful operation of the aircraft102 in the event of a diversion while flying the current flight pathsegment. Once the aircraft 102 traverses to the end of the currentflight path segment or comes within a threshold distance or flight timeof reaching the end of the segment based on the current aircraft statusinformation, the diversion display process 400 is repeated for the nextflight path segment of the flight plan until the aircraft 102 arrives atthe final destination.

FIGS. 5-6 depict an exemplary sequence of navigational map displays 500that may be displayed, rendered, or otherwise presented on the displaydevice 104 in conjunction with the diversion display process 400 of FIG.4 during flight. The navigational map 500 includes a graphicalrepresentation 302 of the flight plan overlaid or rendered on top of abackground 304, along with a graphical representation 502 of theaircraft 102 overlaid or rendered on top of a background 304. In anexemplary embodiment, the navigational map 500 is associated with themovement of the aircraft 102, and the aircraft symbology 502 refreshesor otherwise updates as the aircraft 102 travels, such that thegraphical representation of the aircraft 502 is positioned over theterrain background 304 in a manner that accurately reflects the current(e.g., instantaneous or substantially real-time) real-world positioningof the aircraft 102 relative to the earth. The illustrated map 500 iscentered on the flight plan 302, where the aircraft symbology 502 isshown as traveling across the navigational map 300 (e.g., by updatingthe location of the aircraft symbology 502 with respect to thebackground 304), while in other embodiments, the aircraft symbology 502may be located at a fixed position on the navigational map 500 (e.g., byupdating the background 304 and positioning of the flight plan 302 withrespect to the aircraft graphic 502 such that the map 500 is maintainedcentered on and/or aligned with the aircraft graphic 502). While theillustrated navigational map 500 is oriented in a cardinal direction,alternatively, the orientation of the navigational map 500 may betrack-up or heading-up (i.e., aligned such that the aircraft symbology502 is always traveling in an upward direction and the background 304adjusted accordingly).

Referring to FIGS. 4-5, in response to obtaining the current location ofthe aircraft 102, 502, the processing system 108 identifies flight pathsegment 310 as the current flight path segment (e.g., tasks 402, 404)and graphically indicates or otherwise highlights the flight pathsegment 310 as the active flight path segment 310 for which one or morediversion airport(s) are being displayed. As described above, theprocessing system 108 identifies a subset of potential diversionairports satisfying one or more filtering criteria with respect to theremaining portion of the flight path segment 310 between the currentlocation of the aircraft 102, 502 and the end of the flight path segment310 (e.g., the boundary with segment 312), and then analyzes and ranksthe relative viability of those airports with respect to the remainingportion of the flight path segment 310 (e.g., tasks 406, 408, 410). Inthe illustrated embodiment, airport LKPL is identified as the highestranked or recommended diversion airport for the current flight pathsegment 310, and accordingly, the processing system 108 provides agraphical indication to the pilot, for example, by displaying symbology504 representative of airport LKPL on the map 500 at the appropriategeographic location. For example, compared to the example presented inFIG. 3, during subsequent execution of the flight plan 302 at the timethe aircraft 102 reaches the starting point of the initial flight pathsegment 310, airport LKPL may be more highly recommended than airportLKBP based on current status information deviating from what wasinitially forecasted or anticipated on the ground.

Still referring to FIG. 5, in exemplary embodiments, the processingsystem 108 also generates or otherwise provides a graphical element 506that indicates the route from the current location of the aircraft 102,502 to the recommended diversion airport 504, such as a line segment,arrow, pointer, or the like. Although not illustrated, in someembodiments, textual information may also be presented along thegraphical element 506 or otherwise in graphical association with thegraphical element 506, and such textual information associated with thegraphical element 506 may include, for example, the bearing (or heading)for reaching the recommended diversion airport 504 from the currentaircraft location, the distance between the current aircraft locationand the recommended diversion airport 504, one or more meteorologicalconditions associated with the route to the recommended diversionairport 504 (e.g., the wind speed), or the like.

Referring now to FIG. 6, and with reference to FIGS. 4-5, in exemplaryembodiments, the diversion display process 400 is periodically performedto update the navigational map 500 as the aircraft 102, 502 travelsalong the current flight path segment 310. In this regard, in responseto obtaining new or updated status information (e.g., task 402), thegraphical representation of the aircraft 502 is updated to maintaincorrespondence between the location of the aircraft graphic 502 withrespect to the terrain background 304 and/or flight plan 302 and thereal-world geographic location of the aircraft 102. The diversiondisplay process 400 then repeats the tasks of identifying flight pathsegment to be analyzed, identifying a subset of potential diversionairports satisfying one or more filtering criteria with respect to theremaining portion of the identified flight path segment, and thenanalyzing and ranking the relative viability of those airports withrespect to the remaining portion of the flight path segment (e.g., tasks404, 406, 408, 410). In this regard, the illustrated embodimentcorresponds to a scenario where the highest ranked or recommendeddiversion airport for the remainder of the current flight path segment310 is different from the previously selected diversion airport for thecurrent flight path segment 310. For example, based on changes to thestatus information associated with the aircraft, the potential diversionairports, the potential routes, or the like along with changes to thelength of the remaining portion of the flight path segment 310 beinganalyzed, airport LKBP may subsequently be more highly ranked thanairport LKPL with respect to the remaining portion of the current flightpath segment 310 between the updated aircraft location and the end ofthe flight path segment 310.

In the illustrated embodiment, airport LKBP is identified as the newhighest ranked or recommended diversion airport for the current flightpath segment 310. For example, symbology 602 representative of airportLKBP may be displayed on the map 500 at the appropriate geographiclocation concurrently to displaying symbology 504 representative of thepreviously selected LKPL diversion airport, but with the newlyrecommended symbology 602 being rendered using one or more visuallydistinguishable characteristics different from symbology 504. In thisregard, the symbology 602 representative of a newly recommended butunselected diversion airport may be rendered with a transparency,fading, or other characteristic that deemphasizes the symbology 602 in amanner that indicates that the symbology 602 is not currently active orselected. That said, the symbology 602 may concurrently include one ormore graphical indicia 625 indicating that the depicted airport isrecommended without being selected or active. Additionally, in exemplaryembodiments, the processing system 108 also generates or otherwiseprovides a graphical element 606 and associated textual information thatindicates and characterizes the route from the current location of theaircraft 102, 502 to the recommended diversion airport 602.

In one or more embodiments, when multiple airport symbologies 504, 602are presented on the map 500, the airport symbologies 504, 602 includegraphical indicia representative of the parameter group viability statesfor the displayed airports 504, 602, thereby allowing the pilot toquickly ascertain the relative viability of the airports 504, 602 andmake a more informed decision regarding which airport 504, 602 should bedesignated for use going forward. For example, in the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 6, the LKPL symbology 504 indicates one of theparameter groups associated with the LKPL airport does not have thehighest viability level, whereas all of the parameter groups associatedwith the LKBP airport have the highest viability level. Thus, a pilotcan quickly ascertain the relative deficiencies (if any) of thepreviously selected diversion airport with respect to the newlyrecommended diversion airport.

In response to identifying subsequent selection of the recommendeddiversion airport symbology 602 for use as the new diversion airport forthe remainder of the current flight path segment 310, the processingsystem 108 may automatically update the flight plan data maintained inthe data storage element 124 to associate the LKBP airport with thecurrent flight path segment 310 in the event of a subsequent diversion.Additionally, in response to selection of the newly recommended LKBPairport for use instead of the LKPL airport, the LKBP airport symbology602 may be updated and displayed using visually distinguishingcharacteristics indicating it is active and selected (e.g., byincreasing transparency, reducing fading, etc.) and removing the LKPLairport symbology 504 from the navigational map 500.

Referring now to FIG. 7, in one exemplary embodiment, an airport rankingprocess 700 is performed in conjunction with the processes 200, 400 ofFIGS. 2 and 4 to rank airports. The various tasks performed inconnection with the illustrated process 700 may be implemented usinghardware, firmware, software executed by processing circuitry, or anycombination thereof. For illustrative purposes, the followingdescription may refer to elements mentioned above in connection withFIG. 1. In practice, portions of the airport ranking process 700 may beperformed by different elements of the system 100; however, for purposesof explanation, the airport ranking process 700 may be described hereinprimarily in the context of being performed by the processing system108. Again, it should be appreciated that the airport ranking process700 may include any number of additional or alternative tasks, may notbe performed in the illustrated order, one or more of the tasks may beperformed concurrently or omitted, and/or the airport ranking process700 may be incorporated into a more comprehensive procedure or processhaving additional functionality not described in detail herein.

Referring to FIG. 7, and with continued reference to FIGS. 1-6, inexemplary embodiments, the airport ranking process 700 is performedwhenever potential diversion airports are to be analyzed with respect toa particular flight path segment. The airport ranking process 700receives or otherwise obtains current or anticipated status informationpertaining to the aircraft operation along the flight path segment ofinterest (task 702). In this regard, current aircraft status informationmay be utilized while en route and the aircraft is flying the segment ofinterest (e.g., during iterations of diversion display process 400)while anticipated aircraft status information is utilized for segmentsyet to be flown by the aircraft 102 (e.g., during iterations of theroute diversion selection process 200). The aircraft status informationprovides one or more base parameters for scoring or otherwise gradingthe viability of an airport with respect to one or more parametergroups, as described in greater detail below.

Additionally, the airport ranking process 700 receives or otherwiseobtains current or anticipated status information pertaining to thepotential diversion airports to be analyzed (task 704). The airportstatus information quantifies the current or anticipated operations atthe respective airports satisfying filtering criteria with respect tothe flight path segment being analyzed by the respective process 200,400. The airport status information associated with a particular airportprovides one or more base parameters for scoring or otherwise gradingthe viability of that airport with respect to one or more parametergroups, as described in greater detail below. For example, theprocessing system 108 may obtain, for each airport, one or more of thefollowing: the meteorological conditions at or near the airport, theoperational status of the runways and/or taxiways at the airport, theair traffic conditions for the airport, any auxiliary reports applicableto the airport (e.g., NOTAMs, PIREPs, SIGMETs, and the like), anyairspace restrictions, meteorological forecast information for thegeographic area encompassing the airport, and the like.

The illustrated embodiment of the airport ranking process 700 alsoreceives or otherwise obtains current or anticipated status informationpertaining to routes between the current or anticipated location(s) ofthe aircraft along the flight path segment and any one or more of theairports being analyzed (task 706). In this regard, based on thegeographic information defining the flight path segment and therespective locations of the airports being analyzed, the processingsystem 108 may identify or otherwise determine the waypoints or otherintervening navigational reference points between locations along theflight path segment and a respective airport location that could beutilized to navigate to that airport location, or could otherwise beutilized to assess navigation to that airport location. In a similarmanner, the processing system 108 then obtains, for each of theidentified intervening navigational reference points, one or more of thefollowing: the meteorological conditions at or near the navigationalreference point, meteorological forecast information for the geographicarea encompassing the navigational reference point, any auxiliaryreports for a geographic area encompassing the navigational referencepoint, and the like. The status information associated with a particularnavigational reference point or route to/from a particular airportprovides one or more base parameters for scoring or otherwise gradingthe viability of that airport with respect to one or more parametergroups, as described in greater detail below.

After obtaining status information relevant to the aircraft and theairports to be analyzed, the airport ranking process 700 scores orotherwise grades each of the airports across a plurality of differentparameter groups using the current status information pertaining to therespective airport and any applicable parameter weighting factors (task708). As described in greater detail below in the context of FIG. 8, foreach airport, status parameters associated with the aircraft and theairport, along with any available status parameters associated with theroute from the current aircraft location to the airport location, areclassified or categorize into one of a plurality of parameter groups. Inthis regard, each parameter group generally represents a consolidationor integration of parameters that quantify a particular aspect of viablyaccessing or landing at an airport. For example, in the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 3, the parameter groups correspond to AircraftPerformance (e.g., parameters quantifying the ability of the aircraft toperform a landing at the airport), Airport Availability (e.g.,parameters quantifying the ability of the airport to accommodate theaircraft), Weather (e.g., parameters quantifying potentialmeteorological impacts on traveling to and/or landing at the airport),and Airline Constraints (e.g., parameters quantifying other criteria orpreferences pertaining to use of the airport). As another exampleembodiment, the parameters may be classified into one of the followinggroupings: an airport accessibility parameter group (e.g., en routeweather, aircraft performance, fuel criteria, airspace restrictions,etc.), an airport availability parameter group (e.g., runway status,weather at the airport, air traffic at the airport, and the like), anaircraft configuration parameter group (e.g., type of aircraft,configurations or operating conditions of mechanical components, or thelike), and an airline preferences parameter group (e.g., based onairline contracts with the airport, ground services at the airport,number of passengers onboard the aircraft, and the like). It should benoted that any number or type of parameter groups may be utilized toorganize parameters influencing viability of landing at an airport,however, from a human factors perspective, consolidating the parametersinto a relatively small number of parameter groups facilitates moreexpedient analysis by an aircraft operator. In this regard, fewer thanfour parameter groups could be utilized in some embodiments.

In addition to classifying the base parameters into parameter groups,exemplary embodiments also calculate or otherwise determine complexparameters derived based at least in part on one or more baseparameters. For example, a runway viability parameter may be calculatedfor an active runway at a particular airport of interest based on thelength of the runway, the current meteorological conditions at theairport, the current weight of the aircraft, and other parametersinfluencing the braking performance of the aircraft. In this regard, theprocessing system 108 may calculate the length required to stop theaircraft 102 based on the anticipated aircraft weight at the estimatedtime of arrival for the airport, the landing speed for the aircraft, andthe anticipated surface conditions of the runway based on the currentmeteorological conditions at the airport. From there, the processingsystem 108 may determine a runway viability parameter value thatquantifies the difference between the length required to stop theaircraft 102 and the runway length. The runway viability parameter valuemay then be classified into the appropriate parameter group for a givenembodiment (e.g., Airport Availability). Again, it should be noted thatany number or type of complex parameters may be calculated andclassified into the appropriate parameter group.

Once the base and complex parameters for an airport are classified intothe appropriate parameter groups, the processing system 108 determines acumulative parameter group viability state and a cumulative parametergroup viability score for each parameter group. In this regard, thecumulative parameter group viability score is determined based on theconstituent parameters classified into that parameter group, with thecumulative parameter group viability state being dictated by a binaryparameter classified into the parameter group or the parameter groupviability score, as described in greater detail below in the context ofFIG. 8. Depending on the embodiment, the parameter group viability scoremay be calculated as a weighted combination of the constituentparameters, applying fuzzy logic to the constituent parameters, or acombination thereof. The parameter group viability states and scores foreach airport are maintained in association with the airport.

After scoring the airports, the airport ranking process 700 classifiesthe airports into viability groups based on the scoring (task 710). Inexemplary embodiments, the processing system 108 classifies the airportsbased on their respective parameter group viability states across all ofthe parameter groups, as described above. For example, airports havingthe highest parameter group viability state for each of the parametergroups may be classified into the highest viability airport grouping,airports having the lowest parameter group viability state for at leastone of the parameter groups may be classified into the lowest viabilityairport grouping, with the remaining airports being classified into anintermediate viability airport grouping.

In the illustrated embodiment, the airport ranking process 700 scores orotherwise grades each of the airports based on their respectiveparameter group scores and then ranks each of the airports within theirrespective viability groups based on that scoring relative to others inthat group (tasks 712, 714). In an exemplary embodiment, for eachairport classified in the highest viability airport grouping, acumulative viability score is calculated as a weighted combination ofthe individual parameter group scores associated with the airport. Inthis regard, weighting factors may be assigned by an airline operator,the pilot, or another individual to increase the influence of aparticular parameter group score relative to the other parameter groups.For example, the viability score for the aircraft performance parametergroup may be weighted more heavily than the airport availabilityparameter group viability score and the weather parameter groupviability score, with the airline constraint parameter group viabilityscore being weighted to have the least influence on the cumulativeviability score. For other airport groupings, fuzzy logic and weightingfactors may be applied to determine a cumulative viability score foreach airport as some combination of its associated parameter groupviability scores and its associated parameter group viability statesother than those having the highest parameter group viability state.Within each grouping, the constituent airports are then sorted, ranked,or otherwise ordered based on their cumulative viability scores frommost viable to least viable. In this manner, the airports are rankedprimarily by viability groupings, and secondarily based on theircumulative viability scores relative to other airports within aparticular viability grouping.

Referring now to FIG. 8, in one exemplary embodiment, a parameter groupscoring process 800 is performed in conjunction with the airport rankingprocess 700 of FIG. 7 to score an airport across a plurality ofparameter groups (e.g., task 708). The various tasks performed inconnection with the illustrated process 800 may be implemented usinghardware, firmware, software executed by processing circuitry, or anycombination thereof. For illustrative purposes, the followingdescription may refer to elements mentioned above in connection withFIG. 1. In practice, portions of the scoring process 800 may beperformed by different elements of the system 100; however, for purposesof explanation, the scoring process 800 may be described hereinprimarily in the context of being performed by the processing system108. Again, it should be appreciated that the scoring process 800 mayinclude any number of additional or alternative tasks, may not beperformed in the illustrated order, one or more of the tasks may beperformed concurrently or omitted, and/or the scoring process 800 may beincorporated into a more comprehensive procedure or process havingadditional functionality not described in detail herein.

The scoring process 800 may be performed any number of times inconnection with the airport ranking process 700, with each iteration ofthe scoring process 800 corresponding to an individual airport beinganalyzed for purposes of presentation in an intelligently ordereddiversion list. In this regard, the scoring process 800 begins byreceiving, obtaining, or otherwise identifying the base parameterspertinent to landing at the airport currently being analyzed,calculating or otherwise determining one or more complex parametersassociated with the airport using one or more of the base parameters,and then dividing, categorizing, or otherwise classifying the base andcomplex parameters into their corresponding parameter groups (task 802,804, 806). In this regard, the processing system 108 obtains baseparameters characterizing or quantifying the current or anticipatedstate of the aircraft 102, the current or anticipated state of theairport being analyzed, and any current or anticipated status baseparameters capable of characterizing or quantifying an anticipated routeof travel between the flight path segment and the airport (e.g., tasks702, 704, 706). Thereafter, the processing system 108 calculates anycomplex parameters that can be derived from the available baseparameters to further quantify or characterize the potential viabilityof landing at the airport. For example, as described above, a runwayviability parameter for the airport may be calculated based on thelength of an active runway at the airport (e.g., based on current statusinformation for the airport indicating the runway is available for use),the current meteorological conditions at the airport, the current weightof the aircraft 102, and other parameters influencing the brakingperformance of the aircraft 102. As another example, calculation ofaircraft range in the direction of a potential destination may entailcalculating fuel consumption requirements based on the following baseparameters: available fuel, route to destination (either direct orindirect depending on circumstances), meteorological parameters (e.g.,tailwind component and the like), aircraft performance parameters (e.g.,engine status and the like), which, in turn, may yield the maximum rangetowards the destination and fuel remaining at destination as two complexparameters. Additionally, the calculated amount of fuel remaining may beutilized to calculate other complex parameters, such as the aircraftweight at the destination, which may further be compared to maximumlanding weight or other landing viability criteria for the particulardestination. Thereafter, the base and complex parameters are assigned toor otherwise associated with a particular parameter group (e.g., anaccessibility group, an availability parameter group, a meteorologicalparameter group, a preferences parameter group, or the like).

After the parameters for a particular airport have been classified intogroups, the scoring process 800 proceeds by determining a viabilitystate and score for each of the parameter groups (task 808). The scoringprocess 800 first normalizes or otherwise converts each parameter withina parameter group to a common or universal scale to facilitate combiningthe parameters (task 810). In this regard, based upon the particulardata type associated with each parameter, its value is converted to anumerical representation on a scale in common with the other parametersin the group. For example, in one embodiment, three different parameterdata types are supported (e.g., binary, continuous, and discrete), andeach parameter is normalized to a scale from 0 to 1, with 0 representingthe lowest possible viability and 1 representing the highest possibleviability. In such an embodiment, any parameters having a binary datatype (e.g., where one potential value is viable and the other potentialvalue(s) are not viable) associated therewith are then classified aseither 0 or 1. Any parameters having a continuous data type are scaledto a value between 0 and 1, for example, by converting the parametervalue to a ratio of the potential range of the continuous parameter(e.g., by dividing the parameter value by a maximum value for theparameter). Any parameters having a continuous data type are scaled to avalue between 0 and 1, for example, by converting the parameter value toa ratio of the potential range of the continuous parameter (e.g., bydividing the parameter value by a maximum value for the parameter).Lastly, any parameters having a discrete data type are converted to acorresponding value between 0 and 1, for example, by using advanceknowledge or expert judgment to assign a viability value between 0 and 1to each potential discrete state for that parameter. For example, arunway surface condition parameter (which may be a complex parameterdetermined based on current or forecasted meteorological information forthe airport location) may be quantified as follows: a clear ornon-impacted surface condition state assigned a value of 1.0, a wetsurface condition state assigned a value of 0.6, a snowy surfacecondition state assigned a value of 0.3, and an icy surface conditionstate assigned a value of 0.1.

Once the parameters of the group are on the same scale, exemplaryembodiments of the scoring process 800 converts the value of eachparameter to a corresponding viability state representation, combinesthe viability state representations of all the parameters of the group,and then converts that combined result to a corresponding parametergroup score (tasks 812, 814, 816). Fuzzy logic or a fuzzy regulator maybe employed to convert the normalized parameter values into discreteviability states and then calculate the parameter group score as aweighted combination of the viability states (e.g., by multiplying orotherwise scaling the influence of each particular parameter using anassociated parameter weighting factor). For example, each viabilitystate may be represented by a state function placed at the normativevalue of the state (e.g. intermediate state placed at 0.5 with atriangular function showing pertinence to the state). The statefunctions for various states may overlap. A normalized value of aparameter is then represented by a sum of one or more state functionsmultiplied with respective relevance. The sum can then be weighted orscaled to adjust the influence of the parameter on the viability score.In this regard, the pilot, airline operator, or other user may tune theparameter group scoring in a desired manner to weight some parametersmore heavily than others (otherwise, weighting factors for eachparameter may be defaulted to the same value or unused). State functionsof all parameters are then summed into the combined viability state. Thecombined viability state resulting from the weighted combination ofindividual parameter viability states is then converted to acorresponding parameter group score by defuzzification, for example, bytaking the center of gravity (COG) of the combined viability state on a[0,1] interval. The position of the center of gravity then dictates oneor more viability states with respective pertinence, and the mostpertinent viability state is used as the parameter group score. Theparameter group score is then stored or otherwise maintained inassociation with the airport and thereby numerically quantifies orcharacterizes the relative viability of that aspect of landing at theairport (e.g., accessibility, availability, or the like).

The scoring process 800 also assigns or otherwise designates a viabilitystate to each parameter group. In this regard, in the event theparameter group includes a binary parameter having a value (e.g., 0)that fails to satisfy an applicable criterion for landing the aircraftat an airport, the scoring process 800 automatically assigns orotherwise sets the parameter group state to the lowest viability stateregardless of the parameter group score (tasks 818, 820). Conversely,when the parameter group does not include any binary parameters thatfail applicable landing criteria, the scoring process 800 determines theparameter group viability state based on the parameter group score (task822), for example, by using fuzzy logic or a fuzzy regulator in asimilar manner as described above (e.g., task 816) to correlate theparameter group score to a viability state. The parameter groupviability state and group viability score are also stored or otherwisemaintained in association with the airport to quantify or characterizethat aspect of landing at the airport in a discrete manner.

The loop defined by tasks 808, 810, 812, 814, 816, 818, 820 and 822repeats for every parameter group associated with a particular airport.Thereafter, the parameter group viability states determined by thescoring process 800 and associated with that particular airport are thenutilized to classify or otherwise order that airport into a particularviability grouping (e.g., task 710), with the parameter group scoresdetermined by the scoring process 800 and associated with thatparticular airport being utilized to determine a cumulative viabilityscore and rank or otherwise order that airport within its viabilitygrouping (e.g., tasks 712, 714). In this manner, the parameter groupviability states are used to discretely categorize and order theairports at a relatively coarse granularity, and the parameter groupviability scores are used to further order the airports with finergranularity. As a result, the task of resolving the particular nuancesthat may make one airport a better diversion destination than anotherairport having an identical viability state is offloaded from the pilotor other user.

By virtue of the subject matter described herein, the pilot or othervehicle operator can quickly ascertain the current (or real-time)qualitative viability of potential diversion destinations with respectto a particular discrete segment of travel, as well as the qualitativeviability relative to other potential diversion destinations. Thus, thetasks of mentally or manually aggregating information for eachindividual destination (as well as the route thereto) from a variety ofsources, determining any complex parameters for each individualdestination, determining whether each individual destination satisfiesany particular preferences, contractual agreements, or other ancillaryrequirements, and then assessing the relative viability or fitness of aparticular destination with respect to the length of the segment oftravel and relative to all of the other potential options is largelyoffloaded from the pilot or vehicle operator. Accordingly, the mentalworkload and stress is reduced (which helps to reduce any operatorerror), situational awareness is improved, and the time required toselect an optimal diversion destination for a travel segment can bereduced.

For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to graphics andimage processing, avionics systems, aircraft or airline operations,diversions, and other functional aspects of the systems (and theindividual operating components of the systems) may not be described indetail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the variousfigures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functionalrelationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. Itshould be noted that many alternative or additional functionalrelationships or physical connections may be present in an embodiment ofthe subject matter.

The subject matter may be described herein in terms of functional and/orlogical block components, and with reference to symbolic representationsof operations, processing tasks, and functions that may be performed byvarious computing components or devices. It should be appreciated thatthe various block components shown in the figures may be realized by anynumber of hardware components configured to perform the specifiedfunctions. For example, an embodiment of a system or a component mayemploy various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements,digital signal processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, orthe like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the controlof one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Furthermore,embodiments of the subject matter described herein can be stored on,encoded on, or otherwise embodied by any suitable non-transitorycomputer-readable medium as computer-executable instructions or datastored thereon that, when executed (e.g., by a processing system),facilitate the processes described above.

The foregoing description refers to elements or nodes or features being“coupled” together. As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise,“coupled” means that one element/node/feature is directly or indirectlyjoined to (or directly or indirectly communicates with) anotherelement/node/feature, and not necessarily mechanically. Thus, althoughthe drawings may depict one exemplary arrangement of elements directlyconnected to one another, additional intervening elements, devices,features, or components may be present in an embodiment of the depictedsubject matter. In addition, certain terminology may also be used hereinfor the purpose of reference only, and thus are not intended to belimiting.

The foregoing detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and isnot intended to limit the subject matter of the application and usesthereof. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theorypresented in the preceding background, brief summary, or the detaileddescription.

While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in theforegoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vastnumber of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that theexemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and arenot intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of thesubject matter in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed descriptionwill provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map forimplementing an exemplary embodiment of the subject matter. It should beunderstood that various changes may be made in the function andarrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment withoutdeparting from the scope of the subject matter as set forth in theappended claims. Accordingly, details of the exemplary embodiments orother limitations described above should not be read into the claimsabsent a clear intention to the contrary.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of presenting potential diversionairports for an aircraft, the method comprising: identifying a flightpath segment of a plurality of flight path segments between a departurelocation and a destination location based on a flight plan from thedeparture location to the destination location; identifying a subset ofairports satisfying one or more filtering criteria with respect to theflight path segment; identifying, from among the subset, a recommendeddiversion airport based on a ranking of respective airports of thesubset of airports according to a respective viability associated witheach respective airport of the subset of airports; and providing anindication of the recommended diversion airport associated with theflight path segment.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:obtaining anticipated status information associated with the aircraftfor one or more locations along the flight path segment; and determiningthe respective viability of each respective airport of the subset basedat least in part on the anticipated status information associated withthe aircraft.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising obtaininganticipated status information associated with the subset of airports,wherein determining the respective viability comprises scoring therespective viability of each respective airport of the subset based atleast in part on the anticipated status information associated with theaircraft and the respective anticipated status information associatedwith the respective airport.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: obtaining current status information associated with theaircraft; obtaining anticipated status information associated with theaircraft for one or more locations ahead of the aircraft along theflight path segment; obtaining current status information associatedwith the subset of airports; and determining the respective viability ofeach respective airport of the subset based at least in part on thecurrent status information associated with the aircraft, the anticipatedstatus information associated with the aircraft, and the respectiveanticipated status information associated with the respective airport.5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the indication comprisesdisplaying symbology representative of the recommended diversion airporton a map on the display device, wherein the symbology includes agraphical indication visually distinguishing the recommended diversionairport from one or more remaining airports of the subset concurrentlydisplayed on the map.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdisplaying a list of the subset of airports ordered according to theranking on the display device, wherein providing the indicationcomprises preferentially displaying the recommended diversion airportwithin the list.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:displaying a graphical representation of the aircraft on a map on thedisplay device; and displaying symbology representative of therecommended diversion airport on the map, wherein providing theindication comprises providing a graphical indication of a route fromthe graphical representation of the aircraft to the symbologyrepresentative of the recommended diversion airport.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: obtaining status information associatedwith the aircraft; obtaining status information associated with thesubset of airports; and scoring each respective airport of the subsetacross a plurality of parameter groups using the status informationassociated with the aircraft and the respective status informationassociated with the respective airport, wherein the ranking is based onthe scoring.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtainingstatus information associated with the aircraft; obtaining statusinformation associated with the subset of airports; and determining, foreach airport of the subset of airports, parameter group viability statesfor a plurality of parameter groups based at least in part on the statusinformation for the aircraft and the status information for thatrespective airport of the subset of airports, wherein the ranking isbased on the parameter group viability states.
 10. The method of claim9, further comprising providing, for each airport of the subset ofairports, graphical indicia of the parameter group viability statesassociated with the respective airport of the subset of airports. 11.The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically updating therecommended diversion airport while the aircraft travels along theflight path segment.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying thesubset of airports satisfying one or more filtering criteria withrespect to the flight path segment comprises excluding one or moreairports based on a distance from one or more locations along the flightpath segment.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the subsetof airports satisfying one or more filtering criteria with respect tothe flight path segment comprises excluding one or more airports basedon a flight time from one or more locations along the flight pathsegment.
 14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executableinstructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processing systemonboard the aircraft, cause the processing system to perform the methodof claim
 1. 15. A system comprising: a display device onboard a vehicle;a data storage element maintaining information defining a segment of atravel plan; a communications system onboard the vehicle to obtainstatus information for a plurality of destinations; and a processingsystem coupled to the communications system, the data storage element,and the display device to: determine viability associated withrespective destinations of the plurality of destinations based on atleast in part on the status information for the respective destinations;identify a recommended diversion destination from among the pluralitybased on a ranking of the respective destinations according to theviability; and provide an indication of the recommended diversiondestination associated with the segment on the display device.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15, further comprising one or more systems onboard thevehicle to obtain status information associated with the vehicle,wherein the processing system determines the viability using the statusinformation associated with the vehicle.
 17. The system of claim 15,further comprising one or more systems onboard the vehicle to obtainfirst values for a first set of one or more base parameters, the firstvalues being indicative of a current status of the vehicle, wherein: thecommunications system is configured to obtain, for each destination ofthe plurality of destinations, second values for a second set of one ormore base parameters, the second values associated with a respectivedestination being indicative of a current status of the respectivedestination; and the processing system is configured to: classify eachdestination of the plurality of destinations into a respective one of aplurality of viability groups with respect to the segment based at leastin part on the first values and the second values associated with therespective destination, each viability group of the plurality ofviability groups comprising a subset of the plurality of destinations;identify the recommended diversion destination based on a listing of theplurality of destinations ordered based at least in part on theirrespective viability group classifications on the display device.
 18. Amethod of presenting potential diversion destinations for a vehicle, themethod comprising: identifying, by a processing system onboard thevehicle, a segment of a plurality of segments of a route between adeparture location and a destination location; obtaining, by theprocessing system, status information associated with one or morelocations along the segment; obtaining, by the processing system, statusinformation associated with each of a plurality of alternatedestinations; determining, by the processing system, viability scoresfor each of the plurality of alternate destinations based at least inpart on the status information associated with the one or more locationsalong the segment and the status information associated with therespective alternate destination; identifying, by the processing system,a recommended alternate from among the plurality of alternatedestinations based on a ranking of respective alternate destinationsaccording to the viability scores associated with the respectivealternate destinations; and providing, by the processing system on adisplay device onboard the vehicle, an indication of the recommendedalternate associated with the segment.
 19. The method of claim 18,further comprising: obtaining current status information associated withthe vehicle traveling along the segment; dynamically determining, by theprocessing system, updated viability scores for each of the plurality ofalternate destinations based at least in part on the current statusinformation associated with the vehicle, the status informationassociated with the one or more locations ahead of the vehicle along thesegment and the status information associated with the respectivealternate destination; identifying, by the processing system, an updatedrecommended alternate from among the plurality of alternate destinationsbased on a ranking of respective alternate destinations according to theupdated viability stores associated with the respective alternatedestinations; and providing, by the processing system on the displaydevice, a second indication of the updated recommended alternateassociated with the segment.
 20. The method of claim 18, whereinproviding the indication comprises displaying symbology representativeof the recommended alternate using one or more visually distinguishablecharacteristics different from symbology representative of a previouslyselected alternate associated with the segment.